The media has spread yet another false narrative: the Republican National Committee somehow compared President-elect Donald Trump to Jesus.
On Christmas, the RNC released the following statement: (emphasis bolded)
“Merry Christmas to all! Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a Savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind. Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King. We hope Americans celebrating Christmas today will enjoy a day of festivities and a renewed closeness with family and friends.
“Even as we celebrate, we must also remember those among us who are less fortunate. Many on this day are without hope, and need the kindness and compassion of those around them. It is our prayer we will rise to meet the material, emotional, and spiritual needs of individuals all around us, and what better day is there to love our fellow man than today?
“As we open presents, enjoy Christmas dinner, and celebrate our own family traditions, we are mindful of our men and women in uniform. Many are stationed around the world today protecting our freedoms, and cannot be with their own spouses, children, parents, and siblings. We express the deepest gratitude for service that takes them away from celebrating with loved ones, and we ought to remember them in our thoughts and prayers not just on Christmas Day, but the whole year round.”
The bolded part is what threw leftist media hacks into a tizzy, as they somehow thought the RNC was referring to Trump as a king and comparing him to Jesus:
Oh my god, this is a real statement. pic.twitter.com/khcIq2XHsf
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) December 25, 2016
Yes, you read that Reince Priebus statement correctly: literally refers to Donald Trump as a “King” and compares him to Jesus Christ.
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) December 25, 2016
No joke—This line is actually in the RNC’s Christmas message: https://t.co/1FC34M6okt pic.twitter.com/pOIoalVHoz
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 25, 2016
They’re really embracing the Cheeto Jesus thing. https://t.co/ckgyXdGsPf
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) December 25, 2016
@reince & @rnc should apologize for using Christmas to compare @realDonaldTrump to Jesus & calling him a “new king”https://t.co/ZLiumKEypX pic.twitter.com/exGn0rpdwR
— John Aravosis (@aravosis) December 25, 2016
And there’s more:
The response to the statement was swift. Jonathan Chait, a liberal writer for New York magazine, said, “The distinction between a president and a king is not trivial.” Kyle Griffin, a producer for MSNBC’s “The Last Word,” tweeted, “No joke—This line is actually in the RNC’s Christmas message.” And Politico reporter Glenn Thrush quoted the statement and wrote “#KEOTUS,” meaning “King-elect of the United States.”
This is how actual fake news is spread. Nowhere was Trump mentioned, or even implied in the RNC’s statement. If any of the aforementioned leftist hacks had bothered to research Christianity, they would have realized that the “new King” is referencing Jesus Christ:
@mattmfm we say that same thing every year, Matt
— Justin Green (@JGreenDC) December 25, 2016
@mattmfm No, it is making a traditional reference to Christ. You have to be dedicated to liberalism to be this stupid.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) December 25, 2016
New King is referring to Jesus please stop this nonsense.https://t.co/ztSecJv72V
— William Piereson (@JWP1022) December 25, 2016
Buzzfeed actually reached out to RNC spokesman Sean Spicer to ask if the “new King” was referencing Trump.
“I hope you are kidding,” Spicer angrily responded. “Christ is the King in the Christian faith. To ask this on Christmas is frankly offensive.”
Christ is the King. He was born today so we could be saved. Its sad & disappointing you are politicizing such a holy day. https://t.co/NEOkLNd1Mz
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) December 25, 2016
It’s sad that @BuzzFeedBen condones this attack on Christ on such a holy day for Christians. @BuzzFeed must apologize https://t.co/QdtAZGOqgY
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) December 25, 2016
That hasn’t stopped uber-leftist outlets like the Daily Kos from doubling on the false narrative.
“If RNC had wanted to send a specific Christian message, they should have said ‘newborn king’ or ‘the king of kings’.. putting out a statement such as this is either a complete error on their party to be this poorly structured or, it welcomed the people who would interpret it incorrectly,” wrote Daily Kos blogger Chris Reeves.
It could be argued that the RNC should have used better wording, but it should have been obvious they were referencing Christ, not Trump.
“They could have worded it better,” wrote RedState’s Susan Wright, a frequent Trump critic. “They were not literally calling Trump a new king. They were drawing the line of familiarity between this Christmas and the first Christmas.”
If the leftist media is going to whine about fake news, they should look in the mirror.